Ultracomida
Ultracomida, a Welsh-based specialty food business, has grown from a single Aberystwyth deli in 2001 to a multi-location operation including restaurants, bars, and an online shop. Specializing in Spanish, French, and Welsh artisanal products, the company needed packaging that would reflect their commitment to quality and sustainability while serving practical needs across their expanding retail and hospitality venues.
Go Jute International first met Ultracomida at the Speciality and Fine Food Show a couple of years ago, where conversations quickly revealed a natural alignment between Go Jute’s expertise in sustainable packaging and Ultracomida’s values-driven approach to business. This initial connection developed into a partnership that produced a range of branded bags using sustainable materials, with multiple distinctive designs on Go Jute’s 5oz GJCOTT Cotton Tote Bags and the premium GJ039 Six-Bottle Wine Carrier. Each design serves different strategic purposes while maintaining brand cohesion through consistent burgundy and red colour palettes and the recurring “La Familia” tagline.
The range opens with the Wales Map Design, which features an outline of Wales with all Ultracomida venue locations marked, complete with contact details and phone numbers. This design transforms the bag into a portable business directory that promotes all locations simultaneously, making it particularly effective for the multi-site business. For a cleaner, more direct approach, the “Ultra Comida” Typography Design prominently features the company name in burgundy alongside partner brands Spanish Wines, Curado Bar, and Vermut, with website details encouraging customer engagement.
The designs then shift to celebrate wine culture with personality and humor. “Rioja n Roll” brings playful energy through wine-themed imagery including an illustrated wine can and glass, capturing the fun spirit that makes the bag a conversation piece customers are proud to carry. “Sunshine Cloudnine” continues this joyful theme with whimsical lettering arranged as a cloud “raining” droplets into a wine glass below, creating visual appeal that stands out in everyday use and reinforcing the celebratory drinking experience associated with the brand.
The collection is completed by the seasonal “Nice List” Christmas Edition, which displays a scroll illustration listing Spanish wine varieties including Tempranillo, Albarino, Garnacha, Xarel-lo, Mencia, Verdejo, Monastrell, and Godello. This design serves multiple purposes: it creates limited-edition collectability, offers educational content that enhances customer wine knowledge, and provides the perfect packaging solution for Ultracomida’s Christmas hampers, elevating gift purchases with festive, informative design.
Complementing the cotton tote range, the GJ039 Six-Bottle Wine Carrier in premium jute construction features padded cotton handles and a removable divider, offering customers an elegant, reusable solution for transporting multiple bottles safely. This carrier elevates wine purchases into premium gift territory while providing lasting practical value.
Go Jute’s material quality proved essential to the partnership’s success. The 5oz cotton bags and premium jute wine carriers were substantial enough for genuine reuse, avoiding the perception of cheap promotional items while replacing single-use plastic with biodegradable, renewable materials. This durability aligned perfectly with Ultracomida’s brand positioning around quality and craftsmanship.
The bags transformed customers into brand ambassadors, providing mobile advertising throughout Wales while demonstrating their association with quality food culture. Beyond their marketing function, the bags became retail products themselves, creating an additional revenue stream. The variety of designs allowed different venues to emphasize particular styles, supported seasonal promotions through the Christmas edition, and maintained operational efficiency across multiple locations and the online business.
For specialty food businesses, the Ultracomida case demonstrates how sustainable packaging can simultaneously address environmental responsibility, brand building, and customer experience. The partnership that began with a conversation at the Speciality and Fine Food Show developed into a comprehensive packaging solution that helped Ultracomida transform functional bags into strategic assets supporting their growth while staying true to their values of quality, authenticity, and community.
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